Blog Post #18

Blog Post #18

Ethical Scenarios

Scenario 1: "Off the Record"

You're a new reporter covering local government for a newspaper in a small town. After attending numerous council meetings, you get your first interviews with several well-placed sources about a controversial new highway bypass around the town. Local businesses are against it because it will decrease traffic to their storefronts, and residents are for it because it will reduce congestion and provide more peace and quiet in many neighborhoods. In an interview with the mayor hints that he and two members of the city council have "strong-armed" a few of the larger businesses to keep quiet regarding their opposition by offering some attractive zoning and tax incentives. Then, after he says that, he adds, "That's off the record."

What do you do?

Principio del formulario   A. You say nothing and let the comment pass. B. You stop the mayor and tell him that "off the record" can't really be added to a statement after the fact. Final del formulario

B. You stop the mayor and tell him that "off the record" can't really be added to a statement after the fact.

He becomes angry, tells you to forget the whole interview, and that you can't publish anything he has said at all.

What do you do?

Principio del formulario   1. You interview several of the local businesses and ask about their reactions to the proposed highway bypass and whether or not local officials have offered special incentives to make the situation better for them. You attribute information to the business leaders. 2. After discussing the situation with your editor and receiving permission to refer to an unnamed source, you publish the information you gleaned from the mayor anyway, citing a high level official as the source who spoke on the condition of anonymity. Final del formulario

 

Evaluation

Many people unfamiliar with journalism naturally do not have a complete understanding of how some rules in this profession work. Before beginning an interview, it's best to set the ground rules and define what "off the record" and "on the record" mean, so that you and your source have a clear understanding of the information that you can and cannot print. You also want to avoid hurting the relationships you build with sources. Unless a source first says she'd like to comment "off the record," the interviewee must recognize that everything said is "on the record." And even if you do anger the source or have the interview terminated, you can always interview other sources and gain valuable information from them. Finally, it's good to talk with your supervisor about the paper's policy on anonymous sourcing and when it can be used.

 

Based on the SPJ Code of Ethics:

Seek Truth and Report It

Journalists should be honest, fair and courageous in gathering, reporting and interpreting information.